some of you may or may not know that i have a passion for fashion. i don’t care if it sounds superficial because i know it’s not. fashion is art and expression on a mass scale. just about everybody (excluding those wacky nudists, bless them) puts on clothes everyday. and most people put thought into what they’re wearing, some more than others.

i’m particularly interested in how the koreans dress themselves. most people have seen pictures of crazy japanese kids wearing all sorts of things, korea too has it’s own interesting style. and although we may not have harajuku girls or lolitas (thank goodness for the latter) when it comes to funky fashion korea is definitely no land of retiring wallflowers.

in my small town i must say the ajummas are the most out there when it comes to fashion, not to worry – i love ajumma style. i’m kind of trying to adopt it and make it my own. so far am rocking an awesome ajumma dress that gets compliments every time i wear it. ajummas seem to prefer floral, crazy patterns, sparkly and baggy with some neon colours thrown in for flair. what’s not to love?

i live in a small town so it’s not exactly a stylista’s paradise. the style is pretty generic (as with most small towns) but some of my younger co-workers wear some really cute chic outfits. it’s when you reach the city that’s when things really get interesting. obviously like everywhere else in the world the city is where people are most stylish. it’s where the shopping is, where the clubs are and basically the creative hub. it’s full of people who give a shit. and people who don’t. and that is where fashion happens people.

koreans go quite outrageous but i have a sneaky suspicion they don’t always know they’re being outrageous. it’s like when a new wacky look debuts on the runway. most people go oh that’s so shocking! i could never wear that… but wait a few months and that look has somehow filtered down into the mainstream. people slowly approached it and toned it down and made it work. i feel like the girls here see the look on the runway and in fashion magazine, say cool that’s the fashion and wear it. quite fearless. perhaps they think just about everything from the west is a little strange so who’s to say what is stranger than the next. in the end they end up looking fabulous and it’s me who’s emulating them. so many trends start in the east and move to the west, not just technology.

the most outrageous style probably comes from the kpop girls. my favourite group 2NE1 are really fierce. they look like they wear mostly jeremy scott mixed with some random toys as accesories and they always have the greatest jackets.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAJ6Xk9bnew (check em out).

jumpsuits/one-pieces and giant bows in your hair are perfectly normal looks. heels with socks? why not. crazy t-shirts and huge buns on the top of your head? funky nerd glasses? tiny little acid washed ripped denim shorts? that’s practically the uniform. in winter just add black tights. oh and high heels. high heels all the time…

i have not adopted the high-heels with everything look. i, alas alack, can not walk very well in them, let alone walk up a mountain in them. i’m hoping at the end of the end of my stay here i will! my hero is the girl i saw choosing “the hard path” in a pair of gorgeous purple heels. i took the “easy way” and i was wearing sneakers!

there are about three distinctive “looks” in korea. chic, trendy and tomboy. trendy is more fashion forward – whatever’s in fashion, they’re wearing it. chic is neutral colours (black, navy blue, beige) and quite fancy. tomboy is for the girls who love their sneakers, baseball caps and hoodies. usually oversized. boys here are quite trendy too, very metrosexual with skinny jeans and man-bags.

i have bought some fashion magazines here, even if they are in korean. i’m hoping to one day be able to understand them. but for now i’m just enjoying the pretty pictures. korean style icons seem to be young “it” hollywood girls… like mary kate + ashley olsen, lindsay lohan, misha barton and nicole richie. gossip girl is definitely the style focus. the style channel has constant updates how to get the serena, blair and little j look. i love the style channel a.k.a OnStyle mostly because a lot of the shows are in english and fashion focused. multiple seasons of america’s next top model, project runway, launch my line, rachel zoe etc. oh and sex and the city all the time. different seasons, plus the movie.

last week i did a fashion lesson with my girls. it was enlightening to say the least. they all (even the basic level) knew the names of different styles such as vintage, funky, military, boyish etc. they were given a worksheet with pictures of different items of clothing – they had to say what was old-fashioned, in fashion and always fashionable. surprisingly hot pants have  always been fashionable and will stay that way. cowboy boots are incredibly old fashioned and they had now idea what dungarees or bell-bottoms were. they learned the word fashionista and that is what they call me now. which is awesome.

shopping in korea is a thrill. i was at first excited about the fact that zara and mango have stores in korea. but i hardly ever shop there (unless zara has a sale) they’re more expensive and nothing in there really blows me away. korean stores have way cooler clothes for cheaper. when i first got here not a week would go buy that i didn’t buy something. often i will look down at what i’m wearing and realize that everything was bought in korea. lately i’ve been trying to curb myself. waiting for the season to change so i can justify some more shopping : )

korea is a consumer culture. there are shops everywhere. and they are open all hours (in the city). i’ll go out at night and something sparkly will catch my eye and voila my outfit is complete with a new accessory. they all have bright lights and blast music and sell pretty much the same stuff. cheap, fun, pretty stuff. for serious shopping you can head to seoul and visit myeong-dong. here are large international stores like h&m, zara, forever21 etc. but there are also stalls in the street and the place is absolutely bustling with shoppers. it can be very crowded. hongdae is better for smaller artier/hippier clothes. and just walking around there is a treat. the underground shopping in incheon (bupyeong) is amazing. everything is crazy cheap and it goes on for miles. serious trouble for a shopaholic. but i haven’t even mentioned the online shopping. most of my co-workers prefer it and i can easily see why. the clothes are even cheaper and they deliver straight to your door practically overnight. shopper’s paradise here folks.

luckily i don’t have a credit card because this fashionista’s wardrobe is overflowing… it’s more like a floordrobe at the moment. but winter is freezing cold and summer is unbearably hot so i need a wider variety of clothes?

whatever. i may have a problem, but at least it makes me look good : )